Urban Aesthetics: a comparison of experiences in Milton Keynes and Bedford town centres

This eighteen month project is investigating how people experience designed urban environments. Many commentators have assumed that changes in how towns look have implications for how towns feel to the people who use them. In 'aestheticised' town centres, so the argument goes, people respond differently to the urban environment: they find it attractive, they are seduced, even dazzled, by its visual appearance. This project tests these claims, by undertaking large-scale surveys and observation, and small-scale, more intensive research with individuals. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the project involves Dr Begum Basdas and Professor Gillian Rose, both at The Open University, and Dr Monica Degen from Brunel University.

Further information can be found on the Urban Aesthetics website

Principal Investigator: Prof Gillian Rose
Contact: Begum Basdas